On The Right Track

by WONG SHU YUN

FROM ISSUE # 147 (March 2008) | IN THIS ISSUE
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If you could pose just one challenge to world leaders, what would that be? 

"Implement, not just plan,"
-says 18-year-old Atulya Raj Pandey.

"Really going to and visiting countries,"
-says Sanya Thapa, 17.

Thrashing out their answers at Guildford, London, Atulya and Sanya were two selected representatives out of 47 candidates in Nepal to take part in The Road to Davos. A youth workshop initiated by the British Council, it aimed to ignite discussion on global concerns such as climate change, citizenship, education, intercultural conflict and poverty. 

"Young people are the future and they need to make amends of the mistakes that people of my generation have made," says John Fry, country manager of the British Council. "They have the right to think about change and development for themselves."

For that to happen, Fry notes that multiculturalism is an important aspect. "There is a need to break down barriers between countries, broaden perspectives and nurture tolerance," he says.

It the workshop, 60 young people from more than 40 countries joined in. Ultimately, six were chosen to go to Davos, Switzerland, to meet world leaders at the World Economic Forum that was held in January. Airing vastly diverse issues faced by various countries, The Road to Davos provided a global platform to broaden mindsets. "People from less-developed places as well as those from developed ones participated, so there were all sorts of viewpoints," says Atulya.

He cites how a Scottish youth talked about gay and lesbian rights, another from China touched on climate change while Sri Lanka's representative spoke on the issue of slumps. "You feel really humbled after meeting all these people, it's not just about the individual but about representation," stresses Sanya.

Yet, all of them at the workshop noticed that their concerns to activism were similar even though they had differing issues and came from different backgrounds. "The biggest barrier we face is that people don't take us seriously," concludes Sanya. Adds Atulya: "Sometimes people just have that 'I don't care' attitude. But we have to change ourselves first before we can truly change things."

Still, these challenges have barely deterred the two sprightly youths from possessing a bigger vision. For Sanya, improving public schools is her eventual aim. "If development were to take place, it has to start from education," she says.

And having been stirred by a fellow representative from Slovakia, Atulya says, "I aim to make my youth group Charchine active and connect with other youth groups so we can better communicate with the government or those in-charge."

Clearly, the 6-day workshop has empowered the two who hail from the Rato Bangla School, especially since it was not only serious talk. "We had to come up with a TV commercial, it was about having fun, but it had meaning in it as well," says Sanya. "We were actually coming up with ideas on how to influence youths in our own nation."

The event also saw a good use of new media to enhance global connectivity. Besides having to send YouTube videos to Switzerland as part of their selection criteria, a Road to Davos portal (http://www.roadtodavos.net) was also created to bridge the distances, consisting of videos, blogs and resources.

Though reigniting their passion for activism, Sanya and Atulya have not made themselves blind to the realities of it. "The most important thing at the end of the day is to start small," reasons Sanya. "You have to go back to your own community," she says.